EDITORIAL:Issue 29 — Winter 2001

National newspapers around the world were transformed on September 12th with blanket coverage of the attack on the World trade Centre. John Taylor reviews the coverage of this event and the subsequent action in Afghanistan. He charts the different positions newspapers have adopted in relation to the 'war on terrorism' and the complexity and diversity of the issues it has raised.

Following the attacks in the United States there has been widespead concern about further terrorist attacks. Mark Ellis's photographs show how local and central government planned to operate in the event of a civil emergency. Steve Fox describes how government policy has changed in respect of national emergency planning.

A group of 13 women in Ballymun in Dublin has been studying neighbourhood planning and management. Stephen Farrell has produced portraits of the women and their current living environment. The training programme is intended to enable them to contribute to the ten year regeneration of this community following the demolition of this experiment in modern living. Meanwhile in Efail Isaf in Wales life has been going on much as usual. Bernard Francis has been recording the lives of friends in the village conscious that their way of life and the spirit of the community may soon change.

The New Police Service of Northern Ireland officially came into being on the 5th of November, replacing the Royal Ulster Constabulary as part of the process of political reform in Northern Ireland. Neil Jarman discusses the imagery used in the current recruitment campaign. The campaigns creators AV Browne were award winners at the Institute of Practitioners in Advertising Area Effectiveness Awards. To date the advertising campaign, has had almost 8,000 applications.

Fintan O'Toole looks back at the hey-day of Irish pornography. In the late 70's and early 80's it briefly appeared possible to create an Irish equivalent to Playboy that could cash in on the newly liberal attitude of the public and the long stifled enthusiasms of affluent Irish men. Eventually it proved that the market would not sustain a local product and these magazines disappeared.